The Third Generation

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A hardcover first edition of Chester Himes' fourth novel, The Third Generation. The title of the book represents a fictional family three generations post-slavery, whose story unfolds tragically, amidst racism and disenfranchisement. The book is protected by a plastic-covered brown and white dust jacket, which depicts a family of four. The dark-haired father wearing a bright shirt and dark tie, sits at a table with his fists clenched. Eyeglasses rest across from his hands and his expression is anxious. A woman wearing a short sleeve pink dress stands over his proper left shoulder, at the frame of an open door. A light-colored coat hangs over her proper right arm and she holds a suitcase in her proper left hand. Beside her stands a young boy wearing a bright long sleeve shirt and dark pants. Across from the mother stands another young boy wearing a checkered jacket and brown pants.

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